Wigan Athletic have been given a second four-point deduction for the 2023-24 season after failing to meet an English Football League funding deadline, meaning they will start the season on minus eight points in League One. Owner Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi was given extra time to deposit 125% of the forecast monthly wage bill, but failed to do so by 09:00 BST on Friday. In response, Wigan said they were “extremely disappointed” with the latest deduction and will consider taking legal action.
Chairman Talal al Hammad said that an “eight-figure sum” will land in the club’s account “imminently”, to ensure “financial stability” until the end of next season. He outlined the ownership group’s future plans for the club, which include a 65% reduction in the wage bill after an “unsustainable wage budget” in their Championship relegation campaign. Al Hammad said that the five previous failures to pay wages on time were “totally unacceptable”, but said the ownership group had invested £30m since taking over in 2021.
The statement ended by expressing Al-Jasmi’s commitment to the club, saying: “He is fully committed to Wigan Athletic. As an ownership group and board, we recognise we have a lot of trust to rebuild and this starts again now. We will start next season with a points deduction and that we truly regret and apologise to all fans and stakeholders. This is a culmination of the struggles of the past season. We cannot change the past, but what we can do is look to the future. We recognise we must rebuild trust with you.”
